Policy Adviser

 Our challenges are at the centre of government, encompassing a wide portfolio of projects linked to our exit from the EU. We are making history and you could be a part of it.

We’re a small, exhilarating department focused on policy development and delivery. We offer Civil Servants early exposure to Ministers and senior officials; opportunities to develop critical expertise in the relationship with the EU; a development offer for staff that is second to none and a variety of flexible working arrangements.

Our department has been created in order to:

1. Secure the best possible deal on the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU and build a deep and comprehensive future partnership between the UK and the EU;
2. Deliver and legislate for the UK’s exit from the EU;
3. Inform, engage and mobilise interested parties to help shape and secure an exit from the EU; and
4. Attract, develop and retain great people and organise ourselves flexibly to deliver our objectives efficiently and effectively.

You will have the chance to build and extend your knowledge and expertise across a wide range of policy issues affected by the UK’s exit from the European Union, and to build and develop your networks across the Civil Service. The variety of roles we are offering will often involve contact with Ministers and senior officials across government, and close working with Treasury, Cabinet Office and No.10 colleagues.

However, it’s not just about what we do – it’s how we do it. We’re driven by our shared values, including our commitment to creating a fair and inclusive working environment. The DExEU Difference brings to life our commitment to supporting you to give your best; to use your time here to help develop your potential and, longer term, to achieve your aspirations.

When you join us you will experience the DExEU Difference, including:

• Mentoring and coaching opportunities;
• A strong focus on L&D, including bespoke EU Exit specific skills;
• A flexible and competitive reward offer;
• Active diversity and inclusion networks with senior champions; and
• Supportive family friendly policies and flexible working, including part-time hours.

Everything you do here matters. The DExEU difference supports you to do all this to the best of your ability and for maximum benefits to you personally and to the department’s objectives. Our pace, context and size provides you with the opportunity to develop essential Civil Service skills in a more amplified manner.

In joining us, you will become a part of a diverse group of people, with backgrounds from Whitehall and beyond, who are committed to making history.

About the role
Being a policy lead offers the opportunity to directly support DExEU’s ever evolving agenda and top priorities. You will be involved in delivery of a range of important, consequential and historic policies using your strong sense of public service to achieve success.

Policy Leads in DExEU are comfortable dealing with complexity, able to work at pace and are resilient. They analyse and make best use of complex information, within the political and democratic context, using it to design, plan and deliver government policy. You’ll be able to do this through collaborating with others and engaging with stakeholders at the most senior levels, including Ministers.

You will play a supporting role in delivering policies of significance in the context of our exit from the EU. You can expect to be involved in issues that are a priority for the UK government and of wider national interest.

Please see attached candidate pack for further information on DExEU’s Policy Teams.

Person Specification
If successful in this role, you will:

• Be able to settle into new teams, forming good work relationships and working effectively without understanding all the details;
• Be a strong, solution-focused analytical thinker with a lens on the big picture impact of our work and how it impacts others;
• Have strong report writing skills being able to communicate key messages clearly and succinctly to senior leaders; and
• Be highly organised, with the ability to work on, manage and plan multiple projects within tight timelines and with minimal supervision.

In some of our roles you also need to be comfortable with frequent change – both moving between projects and as priorities change during projects.

Essential skills for this role include:

• Analysis – you will be comfortable working with complex, not always complete, information
• Written and oral communication – you’ll be able to use your language to speak to different audiences
• Team player – you will be a natural collaborator, building strong relationships with colleagues and stakeholders from day one.

Whilst not required, we would expect successful candidates to have professional experience in one or more of the following contexts/subject areas: EU regulations; management consultancy; and working in, or with, national or local government.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture